As many of you know already, I’ve been selected (alongside my sister Nathalie) as one of the 50 Emerging leaders of Atlantic Canada.  We will attend a Summit of all 50 leaders from the 4 Atlantic provinces next week.

This post is to talk about our fundraising for this event. We both needed to raise $500, so we decided to do a crowdfunding campaign. We are excited to say that we’ve achieved our objective. https://goo.gl/njg6IV

Before continuing, I would like to thank all our supporters for their generous contributions. It is humbling and touching to have received such support. Thank you so much for your generosity.

Why We did this Campaign

For us, this campaign was about more than just raising money. Our two goals were to raise money and to raise awareness/build a community around the idea of a brighter, more prosperous PEI and Atlantic provinces.

What I Learned

I was at a loss for words at the feedback and the support we got from this campaign. Here is the best description of the lessons learned that I can muster:

Be Yourself, Be Authentic, Have You Own Voice: Our campaign was one that was authentic. We both chose to live in PEI with an earnest desire to contribute positively to a brighter and more prosperous future here. I am working to pinpoint how I’ll continue doing this. This is one of my goals at the Summit.

Be Vulnerable, Take Risks: The campaign was a risk. What if people don’t give? What if people don’t care? What if we don’t get our target? I was scared. I also felt embarrassed to ask for support. Most of it was my own insecurities/self-doubt. The campaign was the opposite of course. And I’m so incredibly motivated by the support we’ve received. A huge confidence booster.

People Care About You: I think that most of us have the silly habit of sharing our negative thoughts instead of positives. Blame instead of praise. Insults instead of compliments. I know I tend to focus on the negatives anyway. For this reason, I think that my own impression of myself vs the actual impression that people have of me are quite different. People care. Your family, friends and community are all there for you, just like you are there for them. Why wouldn’t they! I care about everyone too!

There is an Appetite for Positive Change: For me this shows me how much most people are interested in seeing positive change happen. I think two of the major impediments to making change happen is: a) what to do, and b) how to do it. What I’ve learned in this crowdfunding is that if we start talking, and sharing, we begin to realize how many people are eager to get involved and make things happen. Super!

I was extraordinarily humbled by all the financial support, and all the messages/shares on Facebook. I didn’t realize the appreciation and support that was out there. Thank you. This inspires to keep going, to keep doing positive change for those around me, for my community and by proxy for this beautiful planet.

Thank you to all supporters and for those who helped us put it together.

Keep up the good work everyone.

Mathieu (and Nathalie)